Can opener



Oct. 6, 1925. 1,556,385

R. H. wALLER f Filed Dec. 7. 1922 INVEN'TZOR ATTORNEY WITNESSES M MM tpending Patented Oct. 6, 1925i.v

' UNITED" vs'r.A .Tr;s

l 1,556,385 Partiturl OFFICE.

ROBERT H. WALLER, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOE, BY MESNE ASSIGN'MENTS, TO THE QUICKS'AEE MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, 0F NASHVILLE,TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

GAN OPENER.

Application led December 7, 1922. Serial No. 605,385.

To all whom z'tvnay concern:

'Be it known that I, 'ROBERT H. WYALLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nashville, in the'county of Davidson and State of Tennessee,have invented a new and useful Improvement .in- Can Qpeners, of `whichthe followin is a specification.

This invention re ates to can openers, and is designed particularly asan improvement on the device shown and described in my coa plication'for. patent on a can opener. fi ed May l17, 1922, Serial No. 561,651.'

lObjects of the invention consist in the simplification of theconstruction so that-it.

will be'more compact and can be manufactured at a reduced cost, theelongated oscillating arm described and specifically claimed in 'some'claims of my said co-pending application 'being eliminated in thespecific form of the invention particularly described herein. Thepresent construction also provides simpler means -for causing thepenetration of the cutting` wheel through the rim of a can when theoperating crank is turned in one direction, and .for withdrawing saidwheel from ithe can upon retrograde movement of the crank and' thusallow the. removal of .thelcanf Other objects of the invention consistin the provision of various combinations of parts and details ofconstruction, de'- sirable in an effective can opening device of thecharacter referred to, all as will be morev fully lset forth in theaccompanying description and particularly set forth in the appendedclaims.

In the drawing, in whichsimilar reference characters designatecorresponding Aparts Ithroughout the several gures:.

Fig. l4 isa perspective view of the im- -proved can opener inoperation;

' Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the same; n I

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device as viewed inFigure .1,the major portion of thelcan being broken' away;

Fi 4 'is 'atop plan \view showing the position of the partsafter aretrograde movement of the operating crank to free the the base plate.

"cutter from the can andrelease the latter.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a su portconsisting of afixed base plate 1, pre erably formed from heavy sheet metal by cuttingor stamping the same into oblongv form having the corners thereofpreferably rounded, and adapted to be clamped to the edge of a table bymeans of a thumb screw 2, having threaded connection with the lower,horizontal arm 3, of a 'U-shapedlbracket (4), formed also of heavylocated adjacent to the transverse center of the latter, so that theopposite end thereof overhangs the edge of the` table, as clearly shownin Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing. o

The thumb screw 2 carries vat its upper end a swiveled head 7, ofinverted, saucer-shape te provide a peripheral. contacting edge forengaging the lower face of the overhanging edge of the table, and thelower ends of the rivets 5 are-formed into projecting tapered heads 8,toimpinge into the upper face of the table, and to coact with the saidswiveled head to maintain the base plate rigidly in positionwhen thescrew is tightened.

As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the bracket 4.- is arranged at oneside of the longitudinal center line of the base plate, with one .sideedge of the same flush with one side edge of Said base plate, thoughthis specific arrangement is not obligatory.'

An arcuate slot 9 is formed in the base plate between the arm 6 of thebracket andthe outer, overhanging end of the said plate, the `ends ofthe slot being rounded and spaced from the Side edges of the plate.

Adjacent to the outer end of the base plate and in' longitudinalalinement with onel rounded` end of the slot 9, ,there is provided anopening, forming a fixed bearing inwhich is mounted a revoluble spindleor stud 10, having secured to its upper end a spur gear 11 resting flata ainst the upper face of the base plate, the sa1d spindle being free torotate in either direction in its bearing, and having secured at itslower end a 'feed roller or wheel 12 whose upper, face preferably bea-rsagainst-the Alower face of Thel roller or wheel 12 is provided at itslower portion with an outstanding annular flange 18, having itsperipheral face milled to provide means for in either direction.

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engagitng with and automatically rotating and feeding the can, in amanner to be described.

Slidably and revolubly mounted in the arcuate slot 9 is another spindleor Stud 14, which projects considerably above and below the upper andlower surfaces of the base plate respectively, and has secured at itsupper end an operating crank handle`15, which may be operated to turnsaid spindle Between the crank handle 15 and the upper face of the baseplate, there is interposed a spur gear 16 of equal diameter with thespur gear 11, and rigidly secured to rotate with the spindle 14, whilebeneath the base plate the said spindle carries a feed roller 17 bearingagainst the lower face of the plate, the lower face of said roller beingsubstantially in a horizontal plane with the upper face of the millediange 13, of the aforesaid wheel 12, as will be seen by reference toFigure 3 of the drawinfr.

2rlhe roller 17 is loosely mounted on the spindle 14, and is free torotate independently thereof, while a cutting disk 18 carried at thelower end of the spindle 14 is rigidly held to and forced to rotatetherewith through the medium of a binding nut 19, screwed to the lowerthreaded end 20 of the spindle, a spacing washer 21 being interposedbetween the nut and the lower face of the cutting disk 18, which latterhas ,its peripheral edge beveled to provide a cutting edge 22 at itsupper face. A loosely mounted spacing washer 23 is mounted on thespindle 14 between the feed roller 17 and the cutting disk 18, the saidwasher being of less diameter than the roller.

The two spindles or studs 10, 14 are substantially parallel to eachother, while the slot 9 is arranged transversely to a line connectingthe aXes of said studs, when the cutting elements, i. e., the feedroller 12 and the cutting disk 1S, are in coacting position.

In operating the can opener, a can 24 having the usual circumferentialflange 25 extending around the margin at either end, is introduced frombelow, the operating spindle 14 being moved to that end of the arcuateslot 9 farthest from the stationary spindle 10, such movement of thespindle 14 beingA caused by a counterclockwise movement of the crank 15,which causes th gear 16 to engage with the teeth of gear 11 and with theteeth 26 of a plate or short rack 27 secured to the upper face of thebase 1, by rivets 2S. The teeth 26 are located adjacent to that end ofthe slot 9 remote from the stationary spindle 10, as seen in plan viewin Fig. 4. By the said movement of the crank, the two cooperatingelements forl cutting the can, namely, the cutting disk 18 L and thefeed roller 12, are lcarried out of operative relation toA each other.This provides ample space between the cutting edge 22 of' the disk 1K8and the milled edge of the flange 13 for the introduction of the flange25 ojt' the can 24, the lower face of the flange 13 bearing against theouter face of the head 29 of' the can, and the cutting edge 20 being inspaced relation to the side of the can `andl in horizontal alinementwith the lower or innen face of the head 29.

By a reverse or clockwise movement of the crank 15, the teeth of thegear 16 meshing with the teeth of the gear 11 and the 'stationary teeth26, causes the spindle 14 to move along the slot 9 transversely of thebase plate, when the edge 22 of the cutting disk is brought intoengagement with and forced to penetrate the side of the can, and at thesame time, and by the same movement, the roller 17 and the milled flange13 are caused to clamp the outer and inner sides of the flange. or bead25 of the can with sufficient force to cause the rotation of the canwhile the cutting disk is being rotated through the turning of thehandle to bring about a complete severance of the entire head of the.can. During this operation it is only necessary to partially support thebottom of the can `Iwith one hand, while the other hand is turning thecrank. lt will be seen that the can opener may be used for opening cansof any size having the projecting flange which is generally found in allstandard makes of cans.

1t will be noted that the construction described enables certainadvantageous effects to be secured even without the stationary rack orabutment comprising teeth 26, which is present in the preferredconstruction, as stated. Thus it will be noted that the movable stud ispressed against one end of its slot- 9 during the can-cutting operation,by coactiou of its `ear 16 with` the teeth of the coacting gear 11, thecoacting parts being thus held incoacting relation. Also, that uponreverse rotation of the crank handle the engagementv of the two gears,as the teeth of. one bear, as they rotate, against teeth of theother,'causes a tendency for the movable stud to move along the slotuntil its gear is out of Contact with the gear on the fixed stud. Handlever or vhandle means ments are mounted, afixed plate having a fixedbearing for onev of said studs and having 'a slot transverse tothe lineconnecting'the axes of said studs when said elements are in coactingposition, the other one of said studs being mounted directly in saidslot for movement lengthwise thereof and guided by the walls ofsaidslot, gears on said studs adapted to mesh to drive one` positivelyfrom the other, and a crank haii-k dle for rotating one of said studs,thestudj in said slot being pressed against one end thereof by coaetionof its gear with the 'coacting gear during operation of the device, theteeth of said coacting gear,.upon reverse movement of said crank handle,bearing against the teeth 'of said firstnamed gear', and thereby havinga tendency to move lthe stud in said slot lengthwise thereof and. carryone of said elements out of operative relation to the other element.`

2. In a can opener, the combination 0f cooperating elements for cuttingthe can, comprising a rotary cutter and a roller for engagement withopposite surfaces of the. bead of the can, parallel studs on which saidelements are mounted, a fixed plate having atiXed bearing for oneofsaidstuds and having a slotftransverse to the line connecting the axesof said studswhen said elements are in coacting position, the other oneof said studs being mounted directly inv said slot for movementlengthwise thereof, and guided only by the walls of said' slot,l gearson said studs 'adapted tomesh to /drive one positively from the other,and a crank handle on one of said movable studs for rotating the same,said movable stud being pressed against-one end thereof by coaction ofits gear with the coacting gear during operation of the device, theteeth of. said coacting gear, upon reverse movement 1 of said crankhandle, bearing against the teeth of said first-named gear,'and thereb)7having a tendency to ,move the stud in said slot lengthwise thereof andcarry one o said elements out. of operativerelation toA the otherelement. i

In a can opener, the combination of cooperating elements for cutting thecan, com-L.

. prising a rotary cutter and a roller for engagement with oppositesurfaces of the bead of the can, parallel studs on which said elementsare mounted, a fixed plate having a fixed bearing for one of said studsand having a slot transverse to the line connecting the axes of saidstuds When said elements are in coacting position, the other one of saidstuds being mounted in said'slot for movement lengthwise thereof, gearson said studs bearing againsta face of said plate, adapted to mesh todrive one positively from the other, and a lever attached at one end' tosaid movable stud and having a manually engageable portion at its otherend, the stud in said slot being pressed against one end v thereof bycoaction of its gear with the coacting gear upon forward rotation ofsaid cutter, the teeth of said coacting gear upon reverse 'rotation ofsaid cutter, bearingagainst the teeth of said rst-named gear,

and thereby having a tendency to move the stud in said slot lengthwisethereofvand carry one of said elements out of operative rela` tion tothe other element.

4. In a can opener, the combination with n a support having a slot, of ashort spindle movably mounted in the slot, a rotary cut- Vter carried bythe lower end of the spindle,

a 'feed roller on the spindle above said cutter and below the lower faceof the support, a gear wheel on the spindleabove the feed roller andbearing against the upper face of the support, and a crank rigidlymounted on the upper end of the s indle, a second short spindle alsomounte in the support in spaced relation to the first-mentioned spindleand carrying a gear bearing against the upper face of the support and'adapted to mesh with the first-mentioned gear wheel,

a second feed roller mounted at the bottom of the second-mentionedspindle and below the lower face of the support, the feed rollerscombining to engage the bead of a can at the inner and outer sidesthereof, and a Afixed rack secured to the support at one sidevof theslot and in a position to be en.- gaged by thev gear wheel of themovable spindle.

5. a support having a slot, of ashort spindle Inv-a can opener, thecombination with movably mounted in the slot,- a rotary cut-v tercarried by the lower end ofthe spindle,

a gear wheel on the spindle above the feed roller andy bearing againstthe upperf'ace of the support, and a crank rigidly mounted on theupperend ofthe spindle, a' second short spindle also mounted in thesupport f in spaced relation to the first-mentioned a feed roller` onthe spindle` above said cutterjbelow the lower faceof the support,`

at the inner and outer sides thereof, and a fixed rack secured to thesupport at one side'of the slot and in a ositlon to be engaged by thegear whee of the movable spindle, whereby upon turningthe handle in aclockwise direction, the spindle is m ved through the slot so as tocause the gear wheel thereon to mesh with the other gear wheel, and uponmoving the handle in a counterclockwi'se direction, the gear wheel onthe movable spindle is shifted from the gear on the other spindle andcaused toven- `gage the rack, thereby moving the cutter out ofcooperative relation with the irstmentioned feed roller so as to -allowthe insertion of the bead of a can between the cutter and said feedroller.

6. A can opener comprising a plate adapt ed to be secured to a table,coacting feed rollers carried beneath the plate and bearing against theunderside of the latter, one of said rollers being mounted on arevoluble spindle which hasl a relatively fixed relation, the spindle ofthe other roller being transversely movable on the base, a cuttin disccarried by the last-named spindle below the support,"spur gears mountedon the two spindles and bearing against the upper face 'of the support,a crank fixed to the movable spindle for turning the same, stationaryteeth mounted on thebase adjacent to the gear on the first-mentionedspindle and adapted to be engaged by the teeth of the movable spur gearto cause the separation of said feed rollers when the crank is turned ina counterclockwise direction, and to cause the feed rollers to clamp thebead of a can and to force the cutting disc through the side of said canand to sever the can top, when the crank is turned in a clockwisedirection.

7. A can opener comprising a substantially flat base plate, aclamp atone end of the base late, the remaining portion of the base 1plte beingin overhanging relation, the over anging part of the base plate beingprovided with a curved slot, a revoluble short spindle movably mountedin said slot, a gear wheel mounted on said spindle and bearing againstthe u per face of the plate, an operatin handle fixed to the u per.l endof the spind e above the gear w eel, a feed roller mounted on saidspindle below the lower face of the base plate, a rotary cutter mountedon said spindle below the' roller, a loose spacing washer mounted on thespindle between the cutter and the roller, a second revoluble shortspindle spaced from the first-mentioned spindle and mounted in 4saidplate in arelatively fixed position, a gear wheel mounted on the secondspindle and resting against the upper face of the plate, a feed rollermounted on said second spindle below the lower face of said plate andcooperating with the firstmentioned roller, and a xed rack mounted onthe plate at one side of the second-mentioned gear wheel, whereby uponturning the handle in a Vclockwise direction, the ear wheel on themovable spindle 'is cause to mesh with the gear wheelvon the otherspindle, and by turning the crank in a counterclockwise direction thegear wheel on the movable spindle is carried out of engagement with theother gear wheel and is caused to engage with the teeth of the rack, atthe same time separating the rotary cutter from the second-mentionedfeed roller so as to allow the insertion of the bead of a cap betweenthe rotary cutter and said feed ro ler.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaffixed my s1gnature.

ROBERT' H. -wALLEa

